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Description

Possibly Foehn’s most important unit in its armored battalions, the Jackal Racer is an agile attack vehicle that can reach far greater speeds when supplemented by a Spinblade, thanks to the windspin engines that Jackals are built with. Combined with amphibious capability, the Jackal is an effective recon unit that can traverse both land and sea with no difficulty.

The Jackal also serves as a light transport option for Foehn commanders, where the occupant can travel in the relative safety of a Jackal while also being able to fire out at enemy units within range. The Jackal itself is also armed, utilizing a sonic wave emitter (based on a unique amplifying crystal concept) that can obliterate enemy infantry before they can even react. The sonic wave damages anything caught in its path, and the Jackal can also use it while on the move.

The Jackal is not without its drawbacks: it comes with a hefty price tag for a relatively light vehicle, and its armor is only capable of withstanding small arms fire; tanks can easily tear through a Jackal in moments. As such, Jackals are best employed as fast attack harassment units than as direct assault vehicles.

Overview

The Jackal Racer is both Foehn's Tier 1 anti-infantry vehicle, and its main transport, thanks to its amphibious nature. Jackals possess two features that make it stand out from most of counterparts, namely its incredible speed and its open-topped nature.

Jackals are one of the fastest early game units, holding an un-boosted speed of 8. This pairs really well with its second feature, as units within the Jackal can fire out at enemy units; Knightframes can tear through infantry squads and aircraft, Lancers can take potshots and incoming tanks, etc. If that wasn't enough, when they are near a Spinblade, they gain a speed buff, making them outpace almost any ground unit. Used well, this can be used to drop surgical strikes on unprepared enemy forces, or to dump a bunch of Clairvoyants right on top of an unwalled refinery.

Despite its strengths, the Jackal is rather fragile, which can result in some nasty losses if too heavily relied on, especially since the unit itself is rather pricey compared to similar Tier 1 anti-infantry vehicles. When used to strike, it is advised to keep them away from anti-armor threats, especially vehicular ones. They only have basic passenger survivability, so using them to attack with valuable heroes may result in the loss of both, so handle those setups with particular care. As an extra precaution, be wary of ChineseDragonflies, RussianTesla Cruisers and any other source of EMP, as they can sink an unwary Jackal hovering over water.

Appearance

Several inactive Jackal Racers (then only identified as Enemy Vehicle) bearing the Allied unit colour scheme appears in Think Different on the northern KI complex, which may hint a possible link between Kanegawa Industries and Foehn.

In Obsidian Sands, after Rashidi's Palace is destroyed, a vehicle that resembles the Jackal can be seen leaving the flooded tunnel located to the south of the palace, presumably carrying Rashidi himself inside.